It’s fantastic to see how “the dog story” (or “Crate Gate” as it is becoming known) is beginning to crush Mitt Romney, as well it should. Anyone who would strap a dog to the top of the family car for a TWELVE HOUR road trip has something wrong with them, something wrong in their head, like, say a pathologically severe lack of empathy (apparently a notable psychological trait of the wealthy and privileged, that they just don’t “get it”).

After the dog shit all over the car, Romney pulled over someplace, hosed the car (and the dog) down and drove on with the obviously scared-shitless pooch still atop the car. Emotion-free crisis management or what? Something that is becoming increasingly obvious about Mitt Romney: He’s the calm, cruel father. The scarier question… is he a high-functioning psychopath?

And yesterday, at the Westminster Dog Show in New York, dog lovers really let Romney have it. From Boston.com:

A protest outside the Westminster dog show aimed at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney drew about a dozen demonstrators Tuesday, plus a few pooches.

The half-hour lunchtime demonstration in front of Madison Square Garden took issue with Romney’s oft-told story of traveling with his Irish setter, Seamus, on a family vacation in 1983. Romney has said he put the dog inside a crate and strapped it to the roof rack for a 12-hour drive from Boston to Canada.

Protest spokeswoman Kitty Hendrix said the Dogs Against Romney website that organized the demonstration has about 25,000 members. The protesters held signs that said “Mitt is Mean’’ and “Dogs Aren’t Luggage’’ and “I Ride Inside.’’

One of the protesters, Al Alvarez, who picketed with his pit bull, Petey, said “I think Romney’s attitude toward dogs was indicative of his attitude toward the most vulnerable in our society.”

I’m inclined to agree. As someone who owns and spoils two tiny mutts rotten, I would never vote for a weirdo who thought it was okay to strap a defenseless dog to the top of their car for TWELVE HOURS. He’s either an idiot, a sociopath or BOTH. Fuck Mitt Romney. This is the sole piece of information I would need to make up my mind about how unfit this asshole is to be POTUS. Lisa Peterson, the spokeswoman for the American Kennel Club got in a wonderful dig at Mittens yesterday:

“The AKC promotes responsible dog ownership. Putting a dog in a crate for car travel is the first step toward responsible dog ownership,’’ she said. “The second step would be to put that crate in a car.’’